Hosiery dryer



1967 G. H. ECKARDT- ETAL ,3

HOS I ERY DRYER Filed Oct. 20, 1965 KARO?" 614R LOU/5 5. M

ATTQQ/VE) limited States Patent Ofiice 3,358,387 Patented Dec. 19, 19673,358,387 HOSIERY DRYER Garnet H. Eckardt, Palm Springs, Calif. (70880Windsor Circle, Cathedral City, Calif. 92234), and Louis B.

Mulvey, Cathedral City, Calif. (44-071 Clinton St.,

Space o-s, Indio, Calif. 92207 Filed Oct. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 498,396 3Claims. (Cl. 34-225) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present inventionrelates to a dryer of convenient size for placement upon a vanity tableor pullman, is provided with an annular chamber that serves as areceptacle for washed and rinsed hose and other dainty items of femininewear loosely disposed in the receptacle, and produces a flow of heatedair that passes upwardly through said items to dry the same. The deviceemploys a fan or blower for heating ambient air in a space below the mentioned receptacle, the force of said fan moving its outlet into heatexchange contact with electric heaters and then through bottom holes inthe floor of the receptacle. The heaters preferably are electrical andthermostatically regulated to insure limiting the heat output thereof toa safe level.

This invention relates to a dryer -for hosiery and other diaphanousitems of feminine wear.

An object of the present invention is to provide a dryer of thecharacter referred to that is compact, easy to handle and store, andconvenient to use in that the same may be placed in areas where hosiery,and the like, are ordinarily washed in the home.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a dryer in which theitems being dried are static, therefore, being longer-wearing than suchitems that are tumbled and otherwise subjected to abrasion, twisting anddamaging heat.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that arepositive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a workingposition and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture,relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novelcombinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear inthe course of the following description and which is based on theaccompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and thefollowing description merely describes, one embodiment of the presentinvention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in theseveral views.

FIG. 1 is a partial plan and partial sectional view of the presenthosiery dryer as taken on the line 1-1 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of said dryer.

The hosiery dryer that is illustrated comprises, generally, an outerhousing 5, open at the top and provided with a bottom 6; a hollow core 7having a perforated bottom wall 8 spaced above the bottom 6 to define aspace 9 that is enclosed by the sides of the housing 5; a top plate 10carried by said core 7 and spaced from the sides of the housing 5 at thetop thereof to define an annular opening 11 serving as an air outletfrom an annular receptacle 12 that holds items to be dried by said airand which is enclosed by the sides of the housing 5 at the outside, thehollow core 7 on the inside, the perforated wall 8 at the bottom, andthe plate 10 at the top; a cover 13 over the top of the hollow core 7and defining an annular opening 14 between a fiange 15 on the plate 10and a skirt 16 depending from the cover 13, and constituting an inletfor ambient air to the interior space 17 of the core 7; an electricmotor 18 mounted in space 17 so as to be spaced from the core; a fan 19driven by said motor to draw air into the space 17 through the annularopening 14 and discharge said air centrifugally into the space 9; and anelectric heater 20 disposed in the path of said air discharge to heatthe same, the heated air being forced from space 9, through theperforations 21 in wall 8, into the receptacle 12 to dry items therein,and then exiting to atmosphere through opening 11.

The housing 5, while shown as being cushion-shaped in plan, may beround, or have any other suitable shape. The side walls 25 preferablytaper inwardly, as shown in FIG. 2, and are provided with vanes or ribs26 that serve to minimize compacting of items in receptacle 12 againstsaid walls, and to reinforce said walls. The bottom 6 may be removableto afford access to space 9, the same being preferably lined with aheat-reflecting sheet 27 for directing heat upwardly. Said housing 5 andbottom 6 are preferably formed of injection-molded plastic or comparableheat-insulating material.

The core 7, also of plastic, tapers toward the top, and is also providedwith vanes or ribs 28 that have the same purpose as the vanes or ribs26. The bottom -wall 8 is preferably formed as an integral part of thecore 7, the peripheral edge 29 of said wall being aflixed in anysuitable manner to the inner faces of the housing walls 25.

The top plate 10, also of plastic, is formed to have a collar portion 30that fits over the open top of the core 7. The same is shown as restingon the ends of vanes 28 so as to be removable to provide access to theannular receptacle for placing items in the dryer and removing same.

The cover 13 is preferably provided with an air-cleaning screen 31 thatis shown as fitting in the tapered top end of the core 7 and havingsupport thereon. The skirt 16 of said cover is of a size to resideinward of and be spaced from the flange 15 on the plate 10 when thescreen is thus engaged and supported. It is deemed to be clear that airdrawn into the opening 19 will first have to pass through the screen forinterception of particles in the air before said air moves downwardly inthe interior space 17 of the core 7. Said cover 13, in the form shown,is removed, first, then the plate 10 is removed to give access to thereceptacle 12. By modifying the skirt 16 of the core 13 to resideinwardly of the flange 15, the plate 10 can be removed withoutdisturbing said cover.

The electric motor 18 may be of the single-phase induction or shadedpole type and is supported in any suitable manner from the wall of core7. Said motor, being in the air stream in space 17, is cooled thereby.The output shaft 32 of said motor extends downwardly and mounts the fan19. The latter has an inlet 33 for air from the space 17 and is providedwith impeller vanes 34 which centrifugally propel the air received fromsaid inlet laterally into the space 9.

The electric heater 20 is carried by a ring plate 34 applied to thebottom of the core 7 and comprises one or more heating coils 35 whichencircle the fan and are mounted as on insulators 36 depending from saidplate 34. Moisture-shedding means 37 may he placed to prevent excessmoisture contained in items in receptacle 12 from dripping on the coils35.

The heat may be controlled to a safe level for nylon hosiery or otherdainty items. To this end and in ordinary ways, as by a bi-metallicthermostat 38a, located in space 9, the heat level may be limited byopening the circuit. Also, the circuit to the coils 35 may -be broken bya solid state or other timer means.

The air flow in the device is shown by arrows 38. The

bottom 6 may serve as a drip pan which readily evaporates moisturereaching it under the temperature generated by the heater 20. Whilethe'foregoing has illustrated and described what -is now contemplated tobe the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, ofcourse, subject to modification without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desired to restrict theinvention to the particular form of construction illustrated anddescribed, but to cover all modifications that m-ay fall within thescope of the appended claims.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is: 1, A hosiery dryer comprising:

(a) an outer housing, open at the top and provided with a closed bottom,I (b) a hollow core, open at the top and bottom, and

disposed centrally in said housing, a (c) a perforated wall spaced abovesaid housing bottom, (d) a heater in the space between said bottom andwall, (e) a top plate mounted on the core with its peripheral edgespaced from the housing to define an air-pass ing opening,

(f) said housing, core, perforated wall and top plate defining anannular receptacle for hosiery items,

(g) vanes provided on the inside of the outer housing and on the outsideof the core to space items in the receptacle, in part, from said housingand core, and

(h) means to draw ambient air into the hollow of the core from above,through the bottom of the core, past and into contact with the heater,to be heated thereby, through the perforated wall, into the receptacleto dry the items therein, and outwardly through the mentionedair-passing opening.

2. A hosiery dryer comprising:

(a) an outer housing, open at the top and provided with a closed bottom,

(b) a hollow core, open at the top and bottom, and

disposed centrally in said housing,

() a perforated w-all spaced above said housing bottom, 7

(d) a heater in the space between said bottom and wall,

(e) a top plate mounted on the core with its peripheral edge spaced fromthe housing to define an air-passing opening,

(f) said housing, core, perforated wall and top plate defining anannular receptacle for hosiery items, (g) means to draw ambient air intothe hollow of the core from above, through the bottom of the core, pastand into contact with the heater, to be heated thereby, through theperforated wall, into the receptacle to dry the items therein, andoutwardly through the mentioned air-passing opening, and

(h) a cover over the open top end of the core and spaced therefrom todefine an air-entering annulus into the hollow core. a

3. A hosiery dryer comprising:

(a) an outer housing, 'open at the top and provided with a closedbottom,

(b) a hollow core,:open at the top and bottom, and

disposed centrally in said housing,

(c) a perforated wall spaced above said housing bottom,

(d) a heater in the space between said bottom and wall,

(e) a top plate mounted on the core with its peripheral edge spaced fromthe housing to define an air-passing opening, a

(f) said housing, core, perforated wall and top plate defining anannular receptacle for hosiery items,

(g) means to draw ambient air into the hollow of the core from above,through the bottom of the core, past and into contact with the heater,to be heated thereby, through the perforated wall, into the receptacleto dry the items therein, and outwardly through the mentionedair-passing opening,

(h) a cover over the open top end of the core and spaced therefrom todefine an air-entering annulus into the hollow core, and

(i) a particle-intercepting screen between said core and cover.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,178,787 4/1916 Farvo 34-225 X2,414,642 1/1947 Gary a 34-225 X 2,881,534 4/1959 Carl'sson' et a1.34187 X 2,966,573 12/1960 Hansen a 34-219 X FREDERICK L. MA'ITESON, ]R.,Primary Examiner A. D. HERRMANN, Assisfnnt Examiner,

1. A HOISERY DRYER COMPRISING: WITH A CLOSED BOTTOM, WITH A CLOSEDBOTTOM, (B) A HOLLOW CORE, OPEN AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM, AND DISPOSEDCENTRALLY IN SAID HOUSING, (C) A PERFORATED WALL SPACED ABOVE SAIDHOUSING BOTTOM, (D) A HEATER IN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID BOTTOM AND WALL,(E) A TOP PLATE MOUNTED ON THE CORE WITH ITS PERIPHERAL EDGE SPACED FROMTHE HOUSING TO DEFINE AN AIR-PASSING OPENING, (F) SAID HOUSING, CORE,PERFORATED WALL AND TOP PLATE DEFINING AN ANNULAR RECEPTACLE FOR HOSIERYITEMS, (G) VANES PROVIDED ON THE INSIDE OF THE OUTER HOUSING AND ON THEOUTSIDE OF THE CORE TO SPACE ITEMS IN THE RECEPTACLE, IN PART, FROM SAIDHOUSING AND CORE, AND (H) MEANS TO DRAW AMBIENT AIR INTO THE HOLLOW OFTHE CORE FROM ABOVE, THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF THE CORE, PAST AND INTOCONTACT WITH THE HEATER, TO BE HEATED THEREBY, THROUGH THE PERFORATEDWALL, INTO THE RECEPTACLE TO DRY THE ITEMS THEREIN, AND OUTWARDLYTHROUGH THE MENTIONED AIR-PASSING OPENING.